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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

NOTE: Due to a serious need to cut back on my workload, this will be my last official book review on this blog.

It doesn’t seem possible that the evening can get any worse
for police officer Josh Wallace after he is dumped by the girlfriend he planned
to propose to, but it does. Josh and his
partner are shot while chasing a carjacking suspect. While on the operating
table Josh dies and has an after death experience that drastically alters his
life and the lives of several people from his past.

I began reading this book with skepticism dreading the part
where the near death experience enters the picture. I figured it would be the
hokey bright light thing. There is some of that (minus the chees factor) but
the story takes a different turn and goes off in a completely different
direction after Josh is saved on the operating table. I don’t want to spoil any surprises so I won’t
say too much. It’s a great story of love lost, love found, and the importance
of family and forgiveness. I give it five out of five stars.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Ruthy MacNeil is rescued
by Luke Stone after she nearly drowns fording a flooded river with a wagon
train. Her step family doesn’t survive and she is finally free of their
mistreatment. Luke surived the horrific ordeal as a prisoner of war in notorious
Anderson prison during the civil war, only to learn that his father has been
killed and the family ranch stolen.

With the help of his
friends, also survivors of Anderson and known as the Regulators, Luke plots to
take back the ranch at the same time rescuing the woman who is the wife of the
man who murdered his father. Luke is immediately smitten with Ruthy and it
doesn’t take long for her to feel drawn to him. I loved the way Luke dubs Ruthy
“Rosie” as an endearment and throughout the book she keeps correcting him to no
avail for some good comic relief. I also like Luke’s friends, especially the
doctor, Dare (love that name).

The beginning of the book really held my interest but the story seemed
to drag a bit in the middle as the friends plotted how they would help Luke
take back the ranch. Connealy set the plot up well for the next book in the
series but the book is complete, unlike some series, and doesn’t leave you
hanging. I give this four out of five stars.

Monday, June 15, 2015

When Pat Taylor wed Tom Allanson he had no way of knowing it
would destroy his life in just a matter of weeks

In fact, Pat destroyed a lot of people’s lives. The attractive
Southern belle was spoiled by her mother and she expected to live a lavish
lifestyle at any cost. Nobody crosses Pat who was fascinated with Scarlett O’Hara. Pat
could pour on the charm, but underneath the beautiful façade was a cruel and
evil heart. She was manipulative and controlling and if anyone crossed her,
well, they’d better watch their back. At the heart of this story is the murder of
Tom’s parents, orchestrated by Pat. But it doesn’t stop there. She’s determined
to get to Tom’s grandparents money, even if she has to revert to poison.

There’s lots more to tell but I don’t want to spoil all the
intrigue. Rule, a former police woman, spares no details regarding this true
story and delves into two troubled families and the horrific, twisted behavior
of Taylor who has no conscience. This is
not a new book but it’s still a fascinating read. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Ruby’s had to be grown up ever since her mom died when Ruby
was just a girl and Ruby has not only
been in charge of the care of her little sister but has been a Nanny to several
other children. When she receives word her father is dying out west, she and
her little sister Opal, venture west to Little Missouri (also called Little
Misery by its residents.) They arrive
just in time for her father’s death. He bequeaths
the only asset he had, a saloon complete
with saloon girls who make their living as soiled doves.

This first book in the series takes us through Ruby’s
struggle to keep her promise to her father to “take care of the girls,” while
changing the purpose of the saloon to a hotel and dining establishment. It isn’t
easy. Thrown into the mix is her desperate need for cash to prop up the failing
business and conflict with Belle one of the girls who seems bent on making her
life miserable.

There is a taste of romance as Ruby gets to know the cavalry
captain and a second hint at romance as she encounters a local rancher who rubs
her the wrong way. I found it rather
ridiculous that Ruby’s father would day the very next day after her arrival and
that she is absolutely clueless that the girls are saloon girls and “working
girls.” Sure, she’s sheltered, but
really? If you want full- fledged
romance you will have to wait until the next book in the series. The book end abruptly with no resolution regarding the romance. All
in all, it’s a nice prairie romance with likable characters though I would have
liked the ends to have been a little more wrapped up. I give it three out of five stars.

Monday, May 25, 2015

When Dianne Chadwick’s father is killed during an
altercation in front of his store as conflict between the north and south rises,
she and her mother decide to move their family to Montana. They believe it will
keep their boys away from the civil war conflict. But the attempt to bring
safety and security is short lived when Trenton the eldest chooses to join
Confederate rebels in order to avenge his father’s death and the family’s trip
by wagon train brings with it unspeakable tragedy. The love interests in this
are Cole Selby a wagon train scout and Diane.

The first book sets
up events to happen in the series. After reading this book I have a new
appreciation for the risks people took to travel across Indian inhabited lands
where they risked everything to start a new life. The descriptions of Montana
make me want to see the country I have never seen. I also appreciate the fair
treatment Peterson gives of the Indians
(there are both good and bad). However, I didn’t find the characters as
fleshed out as I would have liked which made it difficult to really feel for
them. More internal monologue may have helped. Still, this Christian romance is a good story if you like prairie romances. 3 out of 5 stars.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

When the stock market crashes in 1929 it crushes the wealthy lifestyles of three young couples whose lives are intertwined. This riches to rags story captured my interest and I hung in there for the entire book because it started off well. Jonathan Garrett the husband of one of the couples feels responsibility for their circumstances as it was his brokerage firm that they had all invested in.

With scarcely more than the clothes on their backs they leave everything behind and secure apartments in shabby tenements of a ruthless landlord who already has ties to the Garretts. He's a villain right out of a melodrama. The story held my interest for maybe the first third of the book despite the ridiculous premise that three couples would stay together and work together rather than go their separate ways.
And though Gardener introduces conflict through adversity, Victor the landlord, and Elise, a French prostitute from Jonathan's past, it just isn't enough. The story drags on an on as we hop from one character's head to another (too many points of view) and we must trudge through mundane chapters with scarcely any plot advancement.

There's also a lot of telling rather than showing what happens which does nothing to make this more interesting. I kept reading, not because it was captivating, but I really did want to know how they got out of their situation. I don' t want to ruin the end for you, but if you want a page turner, this is not going to be it and I am definitely not going to read any further in this series. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

I have actually read this book before but didn't review it. It's just as good the second time round and a deviation from Grisham's usual legal mystery/thrillers. Frankly, I feel it's his best work. The first person narrative and southern setting reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird though the plot is quite different.

At the heart of the story is an Arkansas farming family, the Chandlers. The story is told through the eyes of 7 year old Luke Caldwell. The cotton is ready for picking and migrant workers (Mexicans and Hill People) have arrived to pick it.

There's plenty of conflict from Hank, the mean bully from the Spruill family whose cruel actions leave one young man dead after a street brawl, and Cowboy, a Mexican with a ruthless streak. Then there's the fight against the elements every farmer faces to try to make a living off unforgiving land. Luke witnesses not one but two murders and is bound to secrecy in fear for his life.

There is slight nudity at one part, a few issues with language but not too much, and a couple of scenes with violence. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

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